Can't change layout using Unity indicator nor Gnome Control Center --12.10 upgrade

[Chascon]

Problem:
I can't use the keyboard mapping recently chosen.

Details:
Selecting anything other than the US International with dead keys layout from the Unity applet doesn't invoke a layout change. Going to gnome-keyboard-properties and high lighting and moving desired layout to top don't help.

gnome-control-center version:
Version: 1:3.4.1-0ubuntu1

Reproducible?
100% on my system

Steps to Reproduce:
1.log in and change keyboard layout from US International with dead keys to "anything else" via the Unity applet
2. type

Actual results:
US International with dead keys layout continues to be in effect.

The following two commands results don't change regardless of what Keyboard Layout or "applet" selection.

cat /etc/default/keyboard

XKBMODEL="pc104"
XKBLAYOUT="us"
XKBVARIANT="intl"
XKBOPTIONS="terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"

cat ~/.dmrc

[Desktop]
Language=en_US.utf8
Layout=us mac
Langlist=en_US:en
LCMess=en_US.UTF-8
Session=ubuntu

gconftool-2 -R /desktop/gnome/peripherals/keyboard/kbd
 model = macintosh_hhk
 layouts = [us intl,us alt-intl,us altgr-intl,us colemak]
 options = [terminate terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp,keypad keypad:atm,grp grp:shift_caps_toggle]

Expected results:
"Anything else" layout is nowhere to be seen, US International with dead keys remains activated.

Workaround
-seems to be to choose the layout from lightdm.

Comments
I don't seem to have gnome-keyboard-properties since running that from terminal doesn't produce the Keyboard Layout pane. Is gnome-keyboard-properties part of Precise?

Control Center shouldn't be overridden by system settings. Rather, it should allow the user to change the system defaults or change it on behalf of the user.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: gnome-control-center 1:3.4.1-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-23.36-generic 3.2.14
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-23-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu5
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Apr 20 14:37:03 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
SourcePackage: gnome-control-center
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-03-23 (27 days ago)
usr_lib_gnome-control-center:
 activity-log-manager-control-center 0.9.4-0ubuntu3
 deja-dup 22.0-0ubuntu2
 gnome-bluetooth 3.2.2-0ubuntu5
 indicator-datetime 0.3.94-0ubuntu2

[Chascon (chascone)]

The way I see it, there are at least two issues here.

1) The issue of not being able to change a layout within a session from the Unity "applet", /etc/default/keyboard not keeping sync with applet --I am supposing it is supposed to keep in sync.

2) And the issue of /etc/default/keyboard not keeping in sync with selections taken in Keyboard Layout, which explains why desktop sessions (X) revert to previous settings when logging in.

/etc/default/keyboard and~/.dmrc seem to want to do their own things, regardless of what other utilities want.

There might be a third, since I've tried to use dpkg-reconfigure to configure what X uses. The issue of any layout chosen from dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration not sticking, /etc/default/keyboard and/or ~/.dmrc not keeping sync with dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration.

[Chascon (chascone)]

"Workaround
-seems to be to choose the layout from lightdm."

Although the layout does indeed change in X (and not in console, unless perhaps a reboot effectuates the change), it is not reflected in ~/.dmrc nor in /etc/default/keyboard. So where are the layouts that take precedence come from?

Changes from lightdm are not reflected in the layout applet, either. It just shows the top of the layout list being selected, which I can confirm is utterly wrong just from typing in X. The applet seems completely useless. Does this need another bug written about it?

[Chascon (chascone)]

This is a selected excerpt taken from a related bug reported by moi. I intended to copy pertinent info over but must have never gotten it. I'd also hoped that it was noticed and taken care upstream but seeing now that 12.10 still has issues with changing layouts, here it is.

1) Changing the layout in unity's "applet" does not change it in X. /etc/default/keyboard shows the following, even if layouts are repositioned in Keyboard Layout in System Settings.

XKBMODEL="pc104"
XKBLAYOUT="us"
XKBVARIANT="intl"
XKBOPTIONS="terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"

2) lightdm takes to the change, at least if it's done via Keyboard Layout.

3) X doesn't take to the change even if it's done via Keyboard Layout.

Clearly there is a conflict between /etc/default/keyboard and Keyboard Layout. I would assume a workaround to be to run the following:

1. sudo dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration
2. and then to edit /etc/default/keyboard to coincide with the input into the previous routine (pkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration)

See http://krisreeves.com/things-that-should-be-easy/permanently-change-keyboard-layout-on-ubuntu-server-11-10/

There are various manifestations of this bug:

1) The issue of not being able to change a layout within a session from the Unity "applet", /etc/default/keyboard not keeping sync with the unity indicator.

2) And the issue of /etc/default/keyboard not keeping in sync with selections taken in Keyboard Layout, which explains why desktop sessions (X) revert to previous settings.

/etc/default/keyboard seems to want to do it's own thing, regardless of what other utilities want.

3) There are also the issues of any layout chosen from dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration not sticking, /etc/default/keyboard not keeping sync with dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration.

[Chascon (chascone)]

Anyway (for those that might come across this), I found a fix, my fix.

1. Open the gnome preference "keyboard layout" pane
2. Move the layout order, if you have more than one
3. Delete all layouts except the default one (mine was a US layout)

The previous two steps have been suggested as fixes on their own (on the Ubuntu forums?). They did not work for me. I tried them together consecutively and this again did not work for me. Thus my next step.

4. Press, "Reset to Defaults"
5. Layout changes effectuated from both the layout pane and indicator now result in a change in layout.

[Chascon (chascone)]

6. Of course, add layouts back before attempting to change to them.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.